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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. court — of law
  5. last — final
  6. date — the fruit
  7. perch — the fish
  8. court — of a king
  9. saw — the tool
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. court — for sport
  15. cap — a lid
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. cap — of ice
  19. saw — the tool
  20. last — finally
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. last — to go on
  24. cap — a hat

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com